When I moved to California from New York, I thought I’d never look back. I don’t do well in extreme temperatures–I’m equally miserable and cranky when it’s above 80° and below 65°–and southern California, with its mild winters, warm summers with low humidity and cool evenings, was just right for me. Winter attire meant a lightweight sweatshirt, a scarf (strictly for fashion, not for warmth), and flip flops. But now that I’m back on the east coast, I realize how much I missed the seasons: that feeling of putting on your jeans for the first time after a hot summer, the excitement of wearing your new winter boots, the smell of rain on a spring day, and the crisp, good-hair days of autumn.

Fall is that perfect balance between the summer that was left behind and the winter that is to come. Fall cakes are just different than summer cakes, with richer, warmer flavors and colors. We make a pumpkin buttercream that’s chock full of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Our bourbon brown sugar is perfect for cooler weather, as is our maple buttercream. We even make an apple cider donut buttercream with apple cider donuts from a local farm. We do spice cake a lot in the fall, and just introduced our pumkin snickerdoodle cookies.

Here are a few of the cakes we’ve done that are just perfect for fall. With deeper colors and richer flavors, there is no mistaking their season.

On this cake, fondant pomegranates, acorns, pinecones, pumkins, and gords.

Rich, khaki colored fondant with ivory appliques and sugar magnolias.

A very literal interpretation of the fall theme

I love this cake. Ivory fondant with sugar ranunculus, pine cones, and hydrangea.

The first two photos below are a cake I did for one of my best friend’s shower. The third photo was her wedding cake.

I did this cake and mini loaf cakes when I was heavy into my applique phase, but I still think it’s pretty. The fruits are all marzipan. I laugh when I see the persimmons because they are everywhere in California (where I made this cake) but seen so rarely here on the east coast. My friend Megan (Honey and Poppies) did all the florals.

My favorite parts of this cake were the hand-sculpted fondant acorns and the bronze fondant lettering.